[FOSS4G2016] FOSS4G2016 - Update 10.4.2015

[Till Adams]

Hi,

just to keep you all informed, an update email about the standing of 
plannings for FOSS4G2016

1. Sanghee sent me an MailChimp account with potential sponsors. For 
that, we have to discuss when to talk to which group (in sense of level) 
of potential sponsors. On the one hand, we want to start with that as 
early as possible, on the other hand we do not want to confuse people 
because of the upcoming FOSS4G2015.
I would like you all to discuss that issue on the list.

2. Inside FOSSGIS e.V. we are in the process of getting the formal 
organizer. for this we discussed several opportunities, in the moment we 
have to talk with the finance office to clear up several opportunities 
(including a possibility to save some taxes). Until this we can't sign 
any contracts

3. I had a meeting with our PCO ten days ago. Next step will be to fix 
their offer and make a contract. This has to wait some days because of 
2. They already reserved the ship for the gala event (and I fixed the 
evening with the band ;-))

4. I just came beack from a meeting with WCCB. We've discussed the offer 
and reduced some performance from their side. We also changed a room in 
contrast to our primary plannings. This will not affect us but @Volker 
as the chair of program committee I will let you know in detail, what 
we've changed. I will mark this in the plans of WCCB and publish this.
The changes will reduce the overall price a little bit.

5. With this I also "gave back" 4 of 5 of the pleanry area rooms, as I 
guess we will not need them. We will have a conference office on top of 
the plenary chamber, which is included and can offer this one remainig 
room in this area for spontaneous (business-)meetings or use it for 
speakers preparation. It is always possible to rent additional rooms in 
advance (e.g. if someone comes up and needs a meeting room for business 
meetings), but this will generate additional costs.

6. The official date will be the one originally planned in the proposal: 
24.-26. of August. For that period the WCCB is only for us, no other 
conference will take place. This makes us more flexible inside WCCB 
andoffers also better rates for accomodation.

7. I also discussed the issue of streaming/recording with the 
technicians. This is not an issue for them. Another technical issue is 
that the video walls and the beamer-technique in the rooms in the new 
part are all in 16:9, so we agreed to offer also 16:9 in the older rooms 
(Bonn/Berlin), so we are on the same base over all rooms. There are some 
smaller issues for the video walls (no laser pointer possible, etc.) we 
have to let to know people talking there.

8. As said before, the plenary chamber is a great room! We had the 
meeting inside and I love this bright atmosphere inside. They asked me 
where the chair wants to sit and offered the former cancellor seat, but 
I think Jeff is better abrogated there ;-)

9. I also met Klaus Greve some days ago and we discussed the issue with 
the now seperated EARSeL conference. We agreed in the idea of having an 
exchanging track at least, in order to let communities know each other. 
So we will have an remote sensing track (Volker!) and they will offer an 
FOSS4G track on their conference. For this and potential "UN conference 
" status" with potential discounts for WCCB there is a meeting with some 
people from the city of Bonn next friday at 12. If someone of you will 
join us, feel free contacting me.

10. @Volker, for the short movie we want to make to introduce FOSS4G2016 
at the closing of FOSS4G2015 we will have a meeting at WCCB (for some 
shootings) in May. This would be an opportunity for you to come up to 
Bonn and see the venue. As May is rather full at WCCB, they will tell me 
two or three possible dates in the next days.


So far, Till